jennifer griffin at the pentagon on what led to the military's lack of preparation and slow response that night, but we begin with chief washington correspondent james rosen, and previously secret information about that tragic night. >> good evening. fox news has gotten a first look at 450 pages of sworn testimony by america's highest ranking military officers that reveal what they and president obama knew about benghazi from the earliest moments. the assault on the u.s. consulate in benghazi began at 9:42 libya time on the night of september 11th, 2012, and within 20 minutes, general hamm was notified. he told the subcommittee on oversight and investigations said my first call was to general dempsey. i told him what i knew. we immediately walked upstairs to meet with secretary panetta. then defense secretary leon panetta and general martin dempsey, chairman of the joint

bret. >> jennifer griffin pentagon. thank you. you can go to the fox news.com homepage for more details on jennifer and james' benghazi stories. >>> stocks took a tumble today. the dow lost 179 points. the s&p 500 was off 23. the nasdaq gave up 61. >> up next, president obama responds to criticism from his former defense chief, chief about his leadership. first, here's what some of our affiliates across the country are covering. fox 2 in st. louis, a southwest airlines plane lands at the wrong airport. the boeing 747 from chicago was supposed to touch down in branson, missouri. instead, it landed at a small county airport with a short runway. fox13 in tampa with a shooting in a movie theater. two people were hit, one dies. apparently grew out of an argue about cell phone texting before the movie started. moments ago, authorities said the shooter is a retired tampa police officer. >>> and this is a live look at new york from our affiliate there, fox5. the big story there tonight is yankees superstar alex rodriguez, ark-rod, suing ma

in washington jennifer griffin, fox news. >>> 25 minutes after the top of the hour.d over the liquids, lotion, shampoo and pot. tsa workers at one airport giving travelers a pass. >> duck dynasty is back. introducing a new member of the flock. the new face on the show. it says here that a won's sex drive increases at the age of 80. helps reduce the risk of heart disse. keep hrt-healthy. live long. eat the 100% goodness of post shreddedheat. doctorrecommend it. >> it is thursday january 16th. how safe is your personal information on healthcare.gov. the frightening information obamacare doesn't want you to hear as experts take the hill today. >> apple about to shell out millions of dollars for their kid's mistake. who can cash in and who is getting stuck with the bill. >> memory eraser. no it is not a new shot. it's a warning for everyone who enjoys even an occasional drink. fox and friends first starts right now. ♪ >> good thursday morning. end of the week. you have almost made it. >> i am ainsley earhardt. >> i am heather childers. we begin with a new warning about t

jennifer griffin live for us at the pentagon with more. what do you know about this, jennifer? gretchen, in essence, the pentagon was told to do so in the 2013 defense budget guidelines provided by congress. there have been complaints of late especially by the few sikhs in the military who wish to wear turbans while serving. it will make exception for beards a beards. defense statement -- the bottom line new dod guidelines will ease restrictions on those whose religious beliefs require them to wear beards, yamakas. >> that trial was delayed several times because he wanted to keep his beard on and the judge said no. meantime details leaking out about how many u.s. troops white house keeping in afghanistan. what do we know about that? >> we know general joe dunford, top u.s. commander in afghanistan and he presented options to the white house. according to officials familiar with the meetings, dunford said 10,000 troops in afghanistan for another two years. if the white house would not agree to that many troops, he suggested it may be better to pull out u.s. troops out at the end

jennifer griffin reporting live for us on a very important topic.>>> and we are continuing our coverage of the snowstorm that shut down the south. atlanta this hour still trying to get things moving along. >>> and real life vikings, not from minnesota. we'll tell you what's up with this burning boat. across the pond. obster? th our today's fresh fish menu, you can always catch fish fresh every day! wood-fe grilled, blackened, or roasted. eatingetter never tasted so gd! sea quality, s variety, sea food differently at red lobster. you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. >>> celebration of viking heritage taking place on the shetland islands. thousands of people marching through the streets and a rowdy fire festival halfway between norway and scotland. spectacular event getting under way despite nasty weather there. modern day viking warri

bret. >> jennifer griffin lithe at the pentagon. thank you. what should the u.s. do about iraq? let me know at facebook.com/bretbaiersr, or on twitter @bretbaier. use the hash tag #specialreport. >> what republicans are doing to come up with an alternative or replacement for obamacare. >> first, the media spotlight on michelle obama's 50th birthday. you stand behind what you say. around here you don't make excuses. you make commitments. and when you can't live up to them, you own up, and make it right. so people think the kind of accountability has gone missing in e placesets where it's needemost. but i know you'll still find it when you know where to look. about the most track-tested is ever... but the truth is... we don't have to. the experts have spoken. now it's your move. ♪ >>> today, first lady michelle obama's 50th birthday. we wish her a happy birthday. while that is a milestone for anyone, fox news media analyst and host of media buzz howard curts said we may be getting a dose of media overkill with the first lady. >> good evening. there's a glowing tribute on nis morni

national security correspondent jennifer griffin live at the pentagon.what do we know about this strike? >> i'm told from u.s. military sources that the strike took place early yesterday morning. the target was an al shabaab leader. the strike took place in southern somalia, not far from where the u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s attempted to capture a leader of al shabaab back in october but had to pull out before they apptuapp tu -- captured him. a u.s. drone fired the hellfire missile. they had help from u.s. and somali intelligence agencies. i'm told two people are thought to have been killed in the strike. u.s. officials are not confirming the identity of the target just yet. i'm told to expect more high-value target hits in that region in the near future, gretchen. >> so why is the united states so concerned about somalia right now? >> well, in essence because it has become a lawless, ungoverned territory from which the al qaeda affiliate al shabaab has been launching terror attacks like the one you mentioned that killed 67 people at the westgate mall in kenya

>> jennifer griffin at the pentagon, jennifer, thank you.what do you think of some of the new changes in pentagon policy? let me know at facebook.com/bretbaier. still ahead, conservatives under fire. that you'll believe, you just won't believe where. first, the media double standard. our immediate can a critic gets critical. >>> virginia's new attorney general says the state's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, and he will no longer defend it in federal court. mark herring was one of three top democrats elected late last year along with governor terry mcauliffe. herring campaigned in part on marriage equality. same-sex marriage, one of many issues that some could argue from a double standard in the mainstream press. fox news analyst and host of "media bus" howard kurtz looks at some of the others tonight. >> thank you, sir. appreciate it. >> reporter: much of the media continues to pound away at republican chris christie's bridge scandal and charges that he played politics with hurricane sandy aid, but across the hudson river it's a di

jennifer griffin on that. martha: how about this? jeb. you won't believe this. we'll come back an play it for you. >> no question in my mind jeb is the best qualified person to run for president but i hope he won't. female announcer: female announcer: get beautyrest, posturepedic, even tempur-pedic mattress sets, at low clearance prices. and through monday, get three years interest-free financing on selected models. don't miss sleep train's year end clearance sale. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ bulldog: out with the old out with the old and in with the new! mattress discounters' year end clearance sale ends monday! puppy: what's this red tag mean? bulldog: through monday, save up to 40% on clearance mattresses. puppy: oh, here's another. bulldog: that means up to $300 off serta, posturepedic, even tempur-pedic. puppy: i found another red tag! bulldog: what! where? puppy: right here, silly. ha-ha-ha! bulldog: tickles! mattress discounters' year end clearance sale ends monday. ♪ mattress discounters martha: listen to this o

national security correspondent jennifer griffin tonight on their odds of getting it. >> nearly 38,000.s. troops remain in afghanistan. the war against al qaeda in iraq is heating up again. the u.s. military is facing deep cuts to its structure. veteran benefits are being cut. talks to end the syrian conflict have stalled and critics of the administration's interim deal with the iranians want to know what president obama will do if iran does not dismantle its nuclear program. but history shows president obama prefers to focus in his state of the union address on domestic issues and not the war in afghanistan. >> the president has not been talking about it. he's not been explaining what's happening, why it's important to our security. he's pretty much ignored it in the past. >> a recent study by stars and stripes newspaper showed wars and veteran policy made up 10 pest to 20% of the past five state of the union speeches g e given by president obama compared to his predecessor who spent nearly half of his speeches on national security. president bush mentioned the wars in afghanistan and

jennifer griffin is live on this. this deals with a veteran's benefit website. information compromised? >> according to the va 5,000 veterans were affected which is a small portion of the 3.3 million that use the website. but those that logged on and found they had access to other veteran's information said it was troubling. one veteran from florida suffering from post traumatic stuff got up seeing other veteran's bank information >> their name, last 4 dates of the social security, the amount they get paid for disability, and their full benefits letter for record was on my screen. >> reporter: this is a small breach, but hit a vulnerable community. >> have they fixed the problem with the website? a statement was issued quote we take a seriously safeguard information. during wednesday evening as part of improving the website there was an error. the va is offering those free credit monitoring. there is no evidence any identity was stolen. many found this incident concerning. all veterans are being called to have the credit monitoring by a florida senator. >> jenni

officials believe he's now being held in pakistan, and our national security correspondent, jennifer griffinhis from the pentagon. he's from idaho. the reaction from bergdahl's parents is what now, jennifer? >> reporter: well, bill, as you can imagine, this has been heartbreaking for bowe bergdahl's parents. he's their only son, this is the first time they've seen a video of him in three years. again, bowe bergdahl was captured in 2009. he is the only living prisoner of war that the u.s. military has right now. they have been looking for him since he was captured. bowe's parents issued the following statement from hair -- their home in idaho, quote: >> r eporter: that's the message from his parents from idaho. according to military officials who have seen the video, bowe does not look like he's in good health, in fact, he looks like he's in declining health since the last time they saw a proof of life video three years ago. it also appears this video was shot after nelson mandela's death in december of last year. there is some reference to that in the video, we're told, from u.s. military of

jennifer griffin, thank you. jenna: ice is still a serious threat in atlanta today, two days after a storm crippled the whole metropolitan area. crews are starting to bring drivers back to thousands of cars that were forced to abandon or forced to be abandoned at the height of the storm on tuesday. while some traffic is moving again, officials are concerned about melting snow and slush. all of that refreezing around turning to black ice. schools remain closed this morning because of freezing temperatures and because of all the concern. natalie dale, a spokeswoman for the georgia department of transportation joins us now. natalie, what is the biggest challenge of the day today? >> well we've been very busy coordinating an effort with our state patrol, with the georgia national guard, with our highway emergency response units and the department of transportation to get these people back to their cars. whether they had to abandon them for because they stalled out, ran out of gas or if they just ran out of patience w

jennifer griffin is live for us in washington.action been from veterans groups to the proposed changes? >> veterans groups are up in arms about the proposed change. they say that instead of helping veterans, it will prevent older veterans who don't have access to the internet from betting their benefits and for those with traumatic brain injury from easily filing a claim. >> we have concerns because the average age of the american veteran is 64 years old according to a study in 2011. the 2010 census reported that 55% of americans 65 and older do not have regular access to the internet. >> the va moving in this direction is absolutely the right way to go. but to penalize veterans who don't have the capability or the opportunity or the resources to file a claim electronically, sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars, it's too much, it's too severe. >> the veterans groups say the amount of time to fill out these forms and provide all the documentation required would because them to lose up to a year of benefits for dozens of years

jennifer griffin bring s us up o date from the pentagon. the u.s. carried out a drone strike in somalia. what do we know? >> the u.s. military is not confirming the name of the target, but i'm told they believe they have gotten their man. he's a well known leader of al chabshabab with ties to al qaed. earlier this month, the u.s. sent a handful of uniformed conventional military officers to mogadishu. they're the first troops based in somalia since blackhawk down in the mid-'90s. >> it brought down two blackhawks in somalia, but what can you tell us about a u.s. and egyptian helicopter shot down? >> there's a tape from a group known as an saral jerusalem showing them firing at an egyptian military helicopter. i'm told it's an as-6 or 7 in the video. these are manpads that went missing from gadhafi's property after his overthrow. the u.s. sent experts to libya, you'll remember, to find these shoulder-fired missiles and remains concerned these could bring down a commercial airliner if they fall in the wrong hands. >> any information on the apache heli

national security correspondent jennifer griffin live on the phone with us now. jennifer, give us the connection and why that name sounds so familiar? >> well, what's interesting, harr harris, i'm told this missile strike took place early this morning in southern somalia. you'll remember back in october, the u.s. sent in a navy s.e.a.l. team to target a kenyan leader of al shabaab that was responsible for the westgate mall attack where 67 people were killed in kenya in september. they had to pull out before they got their target. we still do not know the identity of who was killed in the missile strike. local militant commanders in inside somalia gave his name and that he is close to al qaeda -- close to the al shabaab top leader in somalia. u.s. defense officials would only confirm to me that there was a -- the military did carry out a strike. it did involve a missile, and they're still confirming the details of those who were killed. we're told by witnesses there were two people killed and that the target was a vehicle, and again, the identities of those inside

>> jennifer griffin live at the pentagon, jern i ever, thank you. >>> rush's counterterrorism agency has arrested two brothers suspected of assisting the suicide bombers who struck the city of volgograd in december. the bombings killed 34 people and wounded many others. security fears are high ahead of the winter olympics in sochi. >>> meanwhile, the u.s. has reportedly acknowledged that russia tested a ground launch cruise missile, an apparent violation of a 1987 treaty. the white house is not yet ready to declare the tests a violation of the treaty. the missile ban was a key tenant of the agreement that ended the cold war. republican senator lindsey graham told him it's just another example of putin sowing his oats. still ahead, a look at key races of 2014 so far. and first, just three days to the super bowl. two types of sales, a political message to a big audience and a field day for counterfeiters. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] introducing new fast acting advil. with an ultra-thin coating and fast absorbing advil ion core™ technology, it stops pain before it gets worse

jennifer griffin at the pentagon. henry live on the north lawn wearing the team uniform.ated to keeping the same high standards that brit set for the show. seems more spectacular attacks -- >> there have been a spate of those. >> just yesterday a rocket was fired from here, landing somewhere out here. >> right, yes, yes. >> and how -- >> the question is about the senate democratic leadership, jay -- >> the congressman -- >> jay, harry reid controls the senate. >> bret -- >> and he has to have -- >> can i answer the questions -- >> the look of the show may change a bit over time. we begin awe new segment tonight called "center seat." >> i want top pass the mother of all repeal bills on job-killing creations. >> many democrats would like to see balanced budgets. no one thought we could do it in the '90s, and we did it. >> this is the spin room. this is where we will be after the debate. this is our home for the rest of the special report. democrats are hoping people focus on the positives. this is sort of a melting pot, but it's also potential fertile ground for republican

national security correspondent jennifer griffin tells us about a new way to file for benefits that hasld guard ready to fight. >> the department of veterans affairs wants to change the decades old way in which veterans file for claims. advocacy groups are upset. >> it's a seismic shift in the way they want to process claims. >> to penalize veterans who don't have the capability or the opportunity or the resources to file a claim electronically, sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars, is too much. it's too severe. >> for wounded veterans, the changes could be onerous. they have proposed mainidandate using that claim. the v.a. wants to get rid of the so-called informal claim process requiring veterans to register online. retroactive pay would be received starting at the date the form is fully completed, meaning the clock won't start ticking for partially complete hand-written forms as it does now. >> we have concerns because the average age of the american veteran is 64 years old, according to a study in 2011. the 2010 census reported than 55% of americans 65 and older do not have reg

simple question that you posed tonight in talking points and frankly that catherine herridge and jennifer griffin ed henry have posed since almost the day after this happened, won't be answered. and will never be answered. now, how does that ultimately serve the cause of justice or serve the american people well? it's not political. this is a simple question of accountability. did she have any reason to be accountable? did she know any of this? we knew she knew it was a terror attack immediately, bill. almost immediately, right? and yet this narrative was allowed to be sold in an election year. we have to remember that. this was in the heat of the campaign. in september of 2012. the last thing the obama administration wanted, bill, was the news to drop that another terror attack took place on 9/11, on this man's watch. but now, all these months later, we learned that is exactly what happened. >> see, i don't understand that i think the american people know we live in a very dangerous time. and that terror attacks could happen at any time anywhere. so, if i'm the president of the united states, an

missile and jennifer griffin is trying to run it down from the pentagon.bout the strike? >> i am told the strike took place yesterday morning. the target was a leader in al-shabaab. it took place not far from where the u.s. tried to capture a kenyan leader. this time it was a u.s. grown that fired the missile. the defense officials had help from u.s. and somalia leader. two people are thought to have been killed. u.s. officials are not confirming the identity. i am told to expect more hits >> have we hit a lot in somalia? what is the concern they are seeing today in the country? >> the concern is it has become a lawless ungoverned territory where they were launched strikes like the one that killed 67 people at the mall in kenya. earlier this month the u.s. sent a handful of conventional military advisors in and they are the first u.s. trips to be based in somalia since the u.s. forces pulled out after the black hawk down. pirate attacks at the lowest point in six years thanks to military efforts to curb that. >>> he said he would not quit his office, but t

. >> all of the stuff james rosen and jennifer griffin saying everybody knew about it.s a ton about what you like and google. and now a new way to have google in your home. >> and a delay is shown in reaching the victim of a deadly carjacking at a new jersey mall. is there a lawsuit in the works? >> we called the ambulance half an hour ago. where are they? >> when! bulldog: out with the old out with the old and in with the new! mattress discounters' year end clearance sale ends monday! puppy: what's this red tag mean? bulldog: through monday, save up to 40% on clearance mattresses. puppy: oh, here's another. bulldog: that means up to $300 off serta, posturepedic, even tempur-pedic. puppy: i found another red tag! bulldog: what! where? puppy: right here, silly. ha-ha-ha! bulldog: tickles! mattress discounters' year end clearance sale ends monday. ♪ mattress discounters >> we have been listening to the terrifying call from the 911 in the parking lot of the new jersey shopping mall. you think hear the victim's wife calling for help and you can hear her being told that help

we now know because of good reporting from jennifer griffin and james rosen this was the view of senioraders, the testimony bill was just talking about. we also know on sent 12th the ci aft station chief in libya sent back a memo to the united states pointing out this was indeed a terrorist attack and naming certain groups that he thought were likely involved in that terrorist attack. so you have the pentagon and cia. we also know from emails that had been previously released that state department officials on september 12th were emailing about the fact that this was an ansar al shehri i can't-led attack. so we now have relevant government agencies, all declaring one day after september 11th that this had been a terrorist attack. yet you have the administration as the clip from jay carney shows, many others like it, you have the administration protending it was all about the spontaneous video. martha: your mind goes to a couple of things, mine does, to the robert gates book in terms of the suggestion that the inner circle at the white house is more knowledgeable and understands more abo

jenna: national security correspondent jennifer griffin is live at the pentagon with the latest for us now. jennifer? >> reporter: hi, jenna. some of these 450 pages of transcripts recently declassified were still redacted but what i think is most interesting, these are transcripts of interviews of commanders down by the house services subcommittee, the africom commander at the time, general carter ham, we have not heard from him publicly but he testified to the house armed services committee and essentially debunks the speculation that has followed him since 9/11 that he was somehow told, removed from command and that he wanted to do more and send more military royally that night and white house and his superiors didn't let him. chairman of the armed services committee buck mckeen does the questioning of carter ham. he requests quote, this might be a good time to ask. i heard you made the statement that you were prepared to go to their aid and somebody told you know and you said we are going anyway. is that all some supposition that comes from some reporter? ham replies, yes, sir, no

griffin joins us this morning with more on this. jennifera little bit more of that reaction from the veterans group of this proposed change? >> yes, jenna. the biggest change is all veterans would have to apply on a standardized form online. veterans and veterans groups are up in arms. instead of helping veterans come and will prevent older veterans who don't have access to the internet from getting their benefits and younger veterans with traumatic brain injury from easily filing a claim. >> we have concerns because the average age of the american veteran is 64 years old according to a study in 2011. the 2010 census reported 55% of americans 55 and older don't have regular access to the internet. >> the va moving in this direction is absolutely the right way to go. but to penalize veterans who don't have the capability for the opportunity of resources to file a claim electronically sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars is too much. it is too severe. jenna: the amount of time to fill out these forms and provide the documentation required